Membership of 6 rebel Congress MLAs canceled for cross voting, Speaker announces decision

Himachal Pradesh Politics: Membership of six rebel Congress MLAs who cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh has been terminated. The Assembly Speaker disqualified six Congress MLAs for violating the party whip by voting in favor of the government on the Finance Bill. While giving his decision, Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said that we listened to both the sides carefully. We found that the rebel MLAs have violated the whip. Therefore he is disqualified from the assembly. Kuldeep Singh Pathania said that the six MLAs who contested the elections on the Congress symbol violated the provisions of the anti-defection law. Therefore, the membership of these MLAs is canceled with immediate effect.

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania says, "Six MLAs, who contested on Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves...I declare that the six people cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate… pic.twitter.com/QQt92aM10v

— ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2024

Speaker gave 30 page order

The Speaker said that I had received a petition against 6 MLAs under the anti-defection law. I have given this information in great detail in my 30 page order. I have disqualified those 6 MLAs, they are no longer members of Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

Rebels appeared before the speaker

Six Congress MLAs who violated the party whip appeared before the Assembly Speaker along with their lawyer on Wednesday in response to the show cause notice and argued that all the relevant documents have not been provided to them. Senior advocate Satyapal Jain, representing the six Congress MLAs before the Assembly Speaker, argued that his clients were only given notice and a copy of the petition filed on Tuesday evening while other attachments were not provided.

Jain said that under the rules, MLAs should be given seven days to file their reply to the notice given to them. Jain argued that the anti-defection law does not apply to voting in Rajya Sabha elections. He said that the Supreme Court has repeatedly made this clear in its decisions.